


The Purple Nametag

by TrueheartZen



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Fredbear’s diner, Springtrap origin story, paying off student loans is rough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-05-01 03:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5189789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrueheartZen/pseuds/TrueheartZen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He couldn't help but remember one of the rules from the training video - "In case the spring locks come loose while you are wearing the suit, please try to maneuver away from populated areas before bleeding out, as not to ruin the customer experience."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Purple Nametag

His mother had told him not to take this job.  
But after months of searching for work, Fredbear’s Family Diner was the only place that would hire him. And he really wanted to move out of his mother’s house. Nothing against his mother, she meant well, but he was mostly just really tired of being dragged to church every Sunday. He just wanted to sleep in, and not have to hear other’s judgement of his choices. Especially not about his new job. Since his mother found out that he had applied, she had made a point to mention it to as many of her friends as she could, in order to get them to help her talk him out of it.  
  
All gossip aside though, the diner was a little creepy. They didn’t get as many customers as they used to since some rumors about missing kids, and the place was starting to get a little worse for wear. Not to mention Freddy and Bonnie. The free roaming animatronics were enough to give anyone the creeps – Bonnie had serenaded him with some weird song about pizza that he would probably learn to hate when he went in for his interview, and all he could think about as those lifeless eyes stared him down was why it had such sharp looking teeth. It was made to entertain kids, right? But those teeth reminded him of something out of a horror attraction.  
  
He also hoped he would never actually have to wear them as suits. The idea of trusting a couple of moisture sensitive locking mechanisms to keep all those parts from turning him into blood pudding was enough to make him want to live with his mommy forever.  
  
But, all creepiness aside, he buttoned up his collar and practiced his best ‘Fazbear Smile’ in the mirror before leaving for his first day on the job, ignoring the disapproving looks from his mother’s bible study as he grabbed his keys and walked out the door. May God have mercy on his soul and all that.  
  
After clocking in, he knocked on his boss’s door, which was ajar. From inside, his boss waved him in absentmindedly, barely glancing away from his computer monitor.  
  
“Sorry to bother you, but I still need a nametag.” He said meekly. It was company policy that employees wear a nametag at all times. It was one of many company policies that he had tried his best to memorize, having been given the handbook last week. He might as well try to do the job right, after all.  
  
“Oh. Right.” His boss glanced around his room, as though trying to remember where he had put something. “It must have slipped my mind.” Looking down, he unclipped his own nametag. “Here, borrow mine. I’m heading out for the day soon anyway.”  
  
The idea of going by the wrong name all day was odd, but it could be worse. “Thanks.” He said, clipping the tag to his front pocket. His boss’s name was printed in purple. “Our names are similar enough anyway.”  
“Have a great day. And don’t forget to smile!” His boss’s smile faded as he went back to his monitor, and as he left the office, he couldn’t help but wonder what he was looking at.  
  


* * *

As he went about his job, which to be honest, was mostly cleaning up spilled soda and reuniting kids with their mommies, he couldn’t help but notice all the cameras. There was one in every room, watching his every move, and it was starting to creep him out.  
  
“Cameras getting to you, boss?” One of his coworkers, Emma, asked as they were switching out tablecloths in the large dining area – also known as the party room - in preparation for a birthday party that had the place reserved for the rest of the afternoon.  
  
“There’s just so many of them. Who even watches them, anyway? And stop calling me boss. You know my name.”  
  
“You’ve got a purple nametag. That makes you the boss.” She winked. “And the actual boss watches the cameras during the day. It’s all he does, really. During the night a security guard comes in. I hear the job’s a real sleeper though.”  
  
“Do the animatronics get to walk around at night too?” His mother had said something about that, but it was probably just some weird rumor.  
  
“Nah, they just shut down and plugged in to charge. The night guard is just there to make sure we don’t get robbed.”  
  
He jumped a mile as an inhuman hand lay upon his shoulder. “Want to play a little game?” The far too human voice asked. Bonnie? But something was off..  
  
“No using the suits for pranks, Bruce.” Emma said, flicking the tablecloth at him like a whip.  
  
Bruce – well – Bonnie laughed. “Lighten up. I’m just breaking in the new guy."  
  
“Just go take the suit off. There’s going to be kids here soon and Bonnie makes a better Bonnie than you do.”  
  
“If you say so.” Bruce / Bonnie shrugged and sauntered off, humming some version of one of the show songs. Was it the one about friendship?  
  
“Sorry about him.” Emma said, securing the yellow and purple tablecloth down with masking tape. Then, she straightened and paused, pensive for a moment. “You know, I don’t even think we’re supposed to be wearing the Bonnie suit right now..”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I think there’s something wrong with the spring lock in one of the suits, the boss cut his leg open the other day. I can’t remember if it was Bonnie or Freddie though.”  
  
That settled it. He was never wearing one of those suits. “That doesn’t sound safe.”  
  
“It might have gotten fixed already. Besides, Bruce is usually the only one who wears themy anyway.” She shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”  
  
Suffice to say, he wasn't convinced. “If you say so.”  
  
They worked in silence for a while, putting up the signature Fazbear birthday decorations. “Do you want to get coffee or something after work?” Emma asked, breaking the silence.  
  
Her request startled him, and all he could think of at first was how thrilled his mother would be. Which was, of course, not the first thing he should have thought after a gorgeous girl asked him out.  
  
“I know, I’m probably too forward. But we both get off at seven and I just thought –“  
  
“I’d love to.” He cut her off. “I just wasn’t expecting you to ask.”  
  
“Well I knew a shy guy like you sure wouldn’t.” She winked.  
  
“You’ve got me there.” He smiled. Today was going a lot better that he had expected.  
  


* * *

The birthday boy, as it turned out, was a total crybaby, and he was starting to question why the kid’s parents had chosen to book this place when their son was obviously terrified of the animatronics. Freddie and Bonnie, of course, were only making the problem worse, having been programmed to give special attention to crying children.  
  
It got a little better when the kid slipped down the hall to the bathroom, but when Freddie got the idea to follow after him, eerily quiet, he knew he had to do something. So he sprinted down the hall, getting to the kid, who had curled up underneath a drinking fountain – before the slow moving robot bear could.  
  
“Hey kiddo, what’s on your mind?” He asked, kneeling in front of the kid, who shook his head and refused to answer.  
  
“Do Freddy and Bonnie scare you?” He asked, hoping if he asked the right questions, the kid would respond.  
  
The kid peeked at him, before burying his face again and mumbling something he couldn’t understand.  
  
“Do you want me to ask them to go take a nap?” He asked. He did know that Emma knew how to temporarily shut them down for situations like this.  
  
The kid looked up at him again with watery gray eyes. “Can you really do that?”  
  
“Of course. Come on, let’s get you back to your party.” He reached out his arms, and the kid rest his head on his shoulder. Luckily, he wasn’t a heavy kid, but he did almost drop him when he turned around to see Freddie standing silently behind him.  
  
God those robots were freaky. “Come on Freddie, let’s go talk to Emma.” There was a real command to make Freddy follow him, but he couldn’t quite remember.  
  
The kid buried his head in his shoulder, soaking his uniform with snot and tears. Occupational hazard, he supposed. Poor kid.  
  
He tapped on Emma’s shoulder, she was in the middle of making bracelets with a couple of girls.  
  
She frowned slightly when she saw the kid on his shoulder. She had cute little lips, and it looked more like a pout than an actual frown. “Can we send our robot friends to nap? Birthday boy here is a little upset.”  
  
“Of course.” She looked up at Freddie, who had followed them into the party room and now stood stoically beside them. “Freddie, follow me.”  
  
“Are we going on an adventure?” Freddie asked in a voice that sounded a little off, but it was hard to hear over the kid crying in his ear.  
  
“The greatest adventure.” Emma responded. “Now where’s Bonnie?”  
  
“Are they gone?” The kid whispered once Emma and Freddie had walked off.  
  
“They went to go take a nap. They’re very sorry that they upset you.” He set the kid down.  
  
“I didn’t get them in trouble, did I?”  
  
“Nah, we know they can be a little scary sometimes, so they don’t get in trouble.”  
  
The kid smiled softly. “Good.”  
  
“Benjamin!” the kid’s mom called. “Are you ready for cake?”  
  
“Cake!” A couple of the other kids screamed, running up to the table. He wondered if it was against policy to get in on that, it looked like chocolate cake and he hadn't had lunch.  
  
The kid wiped his eyes on his sleeve before calling back to his mother. “I’m ready.” He stood up, wiping his face again, and turned to look up at him. “Thank you.”  
  
He smiled. “You’re welcome, kid. Now go get your cake.”  
  


* * *

When Emma didn’t return to the party room, he wasn’t sure if he should be concerned. How long did it take to set the animatronics to sleep? It couldn’t be that long. The kids had finished their cake already and the birthday kid was starting on his presents – he had received a plushy Freddie – which was an odd gift for a kid who seemed to really hate the creepy robot bear, but the kids parents were already par for the course for poor decisions, why stop at a bad venue?  
  
He looked around, trying to see if Emma had returned without him noticing. Instead, he saw his boss walk over to him, looking a bit disheveled, and limping slightly. Had he cut himself that bad on the malfunctioning suit?  
  
“Hey, I’m going to need you to wear the Bonnie suit.” Oh no.  
  
He didn’t want to argue – well he did want to argue. Anything to avoid wearing one of those suits. And the kid had finally started having fun. “The birthday boy doesn’t want them around, sir.”  
  
“His parents paid for a show, so suit up and head to the show stage. They’ll take too long to boot up on their own.”  
  
“Yes, sir.” He really didn't want to do it, but he really needed the job. Student loans were a bitch and he needed out of his mother's house.  
  
More than he needed to not be climbing inside a potentially malfunctioning robot, apparently.  
  
He headed over to the storage room, but neither Bonnie nor Freddie was anywhere to be seen. Had they been turned on already, and he wouldn’t have to climb inside the suit after all? That would be fantastic.  
  
He decided to check the surrounding rooms, and found Bonnie in a room that he had previously thought was a closet. Was this the safe room? He had never actually been shown where it was, but the animatronics weren’t supposed to be able to go in here. Maybe Bruce or someone had been wearing the suit and took it off in here instead of the storage room?  
  
He walked over to the Bonnie, who was slumped over, the robot’s face hidden from his view. He also couldn’t help but notice the creep factor of the safe room, no windows or anything. Just a single lightbulb illuminating the walls. While the rest of the diner was decorated with bright colors and cute posters depicting Freddie and Bonnie – as well as a fox and a bird that Emma had told him were supposed to be joining the cast soon, this room had bare walls. He suddenly realized that this room had no camera either. That was weird.  
  
Stepping away from Bonnie, he looked around the room more carefully. There were definitely no cameras in here. Weird, especially for how surveillance happy his boss seemed to be. But no matter, he had a job to do. Even if he really didn’t want to do it.  
  
The handle to the crank lay on the floor beside Bonnie, as though dropped there carelessly. He bent down to pick it up, half expecting Bonnie to move and look at him.  
  
It was weird, calling the animatronic by name, especially because he would be climbing inside him – it – soon. But right now, Bonnie was deactivated, as good as dead until someone decided to switch him back on. Putting the crank back into place, he turned it until Bonnie’s exoskeleton was completely compresses against the sides of the suit, and he heard the spring locks click into place. One – two – three – he turned the crank one more time – four.  
  
Now all he had to do was climb into the suit. Easy, right? It was just a mascot suit now, just like he had worn in high school. A Bulldog suit, complete with fake foam around the mouth. If he could do that, he could do this.  
  
But his heart pounded and he hesitated, offering up a small prayer to a God that he believed in more as a child than he did now. Maybe all his begrudged Sunday mornings would grant him some small mercy now.  
  
Legs first. He slowly slid one leg into the suit, than another. It was a bit of a tight fit, but he made it. He could do this. It was just a mascot suit. Just part of a stupid job that wasn’t paying him well enough to climb into a contraption hewn of metal and the nightmares of children.  
  
He couldn’t help but remember one of the rules from the training video. _In case the spring locks come loose while you are wearing the suit, please try to maneuver away from populated areas before bleeding out, as not to ruin the customer experience._ Because watching blood pour from anow already terrifying animatronic would surely ruin anyone’s day.  
  
He took a deep breath. He really needed to stop psyching himself out like this. At this rate, it would be long past the kid’s bedtimes before he got his sorry ass on stage. Torso next, then arms. He could do this.  
  
A soft sound made him pause. It sounded like the giggle of a child, which would be normal at a family diner, except he thought the safe room was soundproof. He listened quietly for the sound again, but heard nothing.  
  
He slipped into the rest of the suit, just wanting to get out of this room. However, as he closed up the back of the suit and began to move around a bit, he realized that he had made a mistake.  
  
His shoulder was still damp. Oh dear God, his shoulder was damp and surely pressing against one of the treacherous spring locks. Reaching his arm around quickly to undo the back of the suit, he hoped for a quick escape.  
  
He heard the locks click before he felt them move – one – two – three – four – the giggling was louder now, he was sure now that there was something in the room that he couldn’t – the metal pieces began to move back into place – slowly sliding before slamming into him from all sides with sickening crunches as metal met bone, sliding to his knees as began to bleed, unable to even cry out, shaking, fading, broken. Gone.  
  


* * *

_Can you hear me?_  
  
What? Was he alive? He felt nothing, even though – had that really happened? Had he … had he died?  
  
_I don’t know if you can hear me… I’m sorry. ___  
  
What was that voice? He strained himself to place it. Somewhere in the distance, he heard other things. Like heavy bags being dropped onto concrete. So many of them. What was in the bags?  
  
_We’ve made a mistake._  
  
This voice was different than the other. Sadder, apologetic. They had made a mistake, hadn’t they? A terrible, terrible mistake.  
  
He heard other voices in the distance now.  
  
“Is that … blood?”  
  
“Keep your voice down. They aren’t paying us to ask questions.”  
  
“I thought this room was supposed to be empty.”  
  
They were talking about his blood.  
  
They were talking about him.  
  
They were walling him in. But why? Why weren’t they helping him? He needed medical help, and soon. He wasn’t even sure how he was still alive.  
  
He was alive… wasn’t he? He tried to yell, but he couldn’t even remember how. How long had he been here? Had they even tried to help him?  
  
They weren’t just going to let him die there, were they?  
  
_You’re broken._  
  
That voice. Oh, that voice. He knew it from somewhere. He was sure of it.  
  
_We are still your friends. Do you still believe that?_  
  
My friends? I’m just an employee at this shitty restaurant. Or I was, before you killed me, he wanted to respond, but he didn’t know how.  
  
It couldn’t just end like this.  
  
He had to live, he had to make it. He had to make them hear him. Somehow, he had to make it. He had to be able to do something.  
  
“It-t-t-’s-s-s-s m-m-e-e-e-e B-b-b-“ the voicebox on the suit cracked to life before shuddering back into uselessness.  
  
“Did you hear that? It’s talking!”  
  
“It’s a broken robot. Keep working.”  
  
“But what if there’s someone in there. What if they need help?”  
  
“There’s no one in there.”  
  
They weren’t going to help him.  
  
_I’m still here._  
  
But how can you help? He didn’t even know who, or what the voice was. Some strange angel – or devil, most likely – tormenting him before his final judgement.  
  
_I will put you back together._  
  
That was the last thing he heard for a very, very long time.  
  
  
  


_And he had gotten so lonely._


End file.
